Month: November 2015

The calls to and from Elway’s office continue:

According to a source, the Browns had talks with the Denver Broncos early in the season after Denver lost left tackle Ryan Clady to injury in the preseason. The Broncos were willing to part with their first-round pick in 2016, but the Browns also asked for second-year linebacker Shaq Barrett, and that apparently killed the deal.

In my opinion, that rightly killed the deal.  In the wise words of Ernie Accorsi, you “don’t trade young pass-rushers”.  That’s what he said as Giants GM when Chargers GM AJ Smith tried to get him to include Osi Umenyiora in the famous Eli Manning/Philip Rivers deal.

With less than six hours remaining before the trade deadline, it remains to be seen if the Broncos or anyone else can pry Thomas away from Cleveland.  But to offer another opinion, barring some kind of crazy Herschel Walker type offer, I think the Browns are crazy to even put Thomas on the trading block. If you’re going to conduct a fire sale properly, you want to offer players that either have expiring contracts (such as Alex Mack’s option to void after this year) or players that don’t fit in your system (potentially Barkevious Mingo).  But Thomas is one of the best left tackles in the league, and more importantly he’s under contract for 3.5 more seasons.  You’re supposed to construct rosters around players like that.  If the Browns trade Thomas, they’re not rebuilding, they’re demolishing.

And sadly for Browns fans, it’s something that they are all too accustomed to.

It’s funny how things are at Thin Air. A few weeks ago, several of you were suggesting the idea of trading for somebody like Vernon Davis.

Given today’s revelation, you’d think John Elway was reading this site or something.

Let’s do temper our expectations a bit. Davis isn’t the game breaker he used to be. It’s not likely we’re going to see him rack up 100 yards every game or cause matchup problems for every defense.

But he can fill a key role in giving the Broncos a tight end who can easily rotate in and out with the others on the roster.
Continue reading Gut Reaction: Vernon Davis Is Now A Bronco

Here's the actual deal: SF is trading Vernon Davis and a 2016 7th-round pick to Denver for a 6th in 2016 and a 6th in 2017, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2015

Assuming Davis remains on the Broncos’ roster for the remainder of the season, Denver will pay him 9/17ths of his 2015 base salary, or approximately $2.5 million.  With the Broncos having approximately $7.3 million in current 2015 cap space, this is an acquisition they could easily afford.

Giving up two 6ths for a 7th and Davis is a great deal. Remember that the Broncos have one of the most stacked rosters in the NFL, and in 2016 it’s likely that some of those late draft picks might not make the team.  That likelihood increases when you remember that the Broncos should get three compensatory picks to further pad their 2016 pick total.  As it stands right now, the Broncos’ 2016 draft slate consists of the following: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd or 4th (compensatory), 4th (compensatory), 5th (from BAL), 5th, 6th (compensatory), 7th (from SF), 7th (from HOU), and 7th.

Also, Davis is in the last year of his contract. With Virgil Green under contract for a long while and Jeff Heuerman expected to come off IR, it would seem unlikely that the Broncos would retain him.  And if they don’t, he’ll factor into the Broncos’ 2017 compensatory pick formula, giving them an excellent chance to get that 2017 6th back, if not improve on it.

John Elway has confirmed the transaction.

We've agreed to trade for two-time Pro Bowl TE Vernon Davis from SF. He'll be a valuable addition to our team w/his experience & leadership.

— John Elway (@johnelway) November 2, 2015

Ty Sambrailo is not going to make it back… Kubiak said.. Go on IR.. Have surgery..

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) November 2, 2015

Unfortunate news for the 2015 second-round pick.

ETA: Lindsay Jones explains more.

Sambrailo practiced last week, coaches + docs wanted to see how shoulder responded. It went poorly — injury won't heal, must be fixed.

— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) November 2, 2015

It remains to be seen if the Broncos trade for another offensive lineman, but the door could be open for that now. The only question to ask is whether such a trade would hurt some of the continuity the Broncos seem to have established on the line.

Not sure who is available in free agency at this point.

Thought everyone would be interested in this story from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about Darius Wiliams, the son of late Broncos CB Darrent Williams.

Darius is playing cornerback for Fort Worth Arlington Heights High School and hopes to reach the NFL.

All season long, the one subject everyone wants to talk about regarding the Denver Broncos, more than any other subject, has been Peyton Manning.

Let’s get this out of the way: Yes, Peyton is declining and has been for some time. Yes, he’s made poor decisions and his throws aren’t consistently where they need to be. And this is likely going to be his last season.

But after last night’s 29-10 Denver Broncos victory over the Green Bay Packers, it’s time to ask ourselves if we are worrying too much about Peyton.
Continue reading Yes, The Broncos Can Win With Subpar Peyton

Chicken Parm tastes so good-I like it especially with Cheese

— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) November 2, 2015

No further comment necessary.